Means for mounting and locking roadside markers



Jim 1$ 1941- J. c. HAGGART, JR

MEANS FOR MOUNTING AND LOCKING ROADSIDE MARKERS Filed Oct. 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JZ/ew C/lqaa/ae BYf ATTORNEY (ZZZW 1941' J. c. HAGGART, JR

MEANS FOR MOUNTING AND LOCKING ROADSIDE MARKERS Filed 001;. 26, 19559 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jbmv CT fihaeaegfe. A

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 21, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE MEANS FOR MOUNTING AND LOCKING ROADSIDE MARKERS Delaware Application October 26, 1939, Serial No. 301,432

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a means for mounting and looking a roadside marker.

With the large increase in the use of roadside markers of the reflecting button type, the need 5 for a simple detachable mounting and locking arrangement has been felt. These markers are being placed extensively alongside of roads to delineate the edges and general direction of the road. With the extensive use of these markers it has become a source of considerable expense to pull up the posts or the bars supporting the button assembly when cutting the grass in which the posts may be mounted. Without their removal considerable time and money are spent in trimming around the posts.

In the installation of the types of mountings of the prior art, where a post was driven into the ground, it was necessary to align the posts as they were being driven. With the present invention it is now possible to drive a tubular anchor member into the ground until its upper end is just flush or a little below the surface of the ground, insert the post supporting the reflecting buttons into the anchor, adjust the posts to the proper angular position with relation to the road, and then by the use of a simple tool securely lock the post against rotation and removal by unauthorized persons. the marker for any reason, the supporting post is easily unlocked and lifted out, leaving the anchor in its undisturbed position with its top just below the surface of the ground.

The accompanying drawings disclose a prac- 35 tical arrangement in use today in connection with highway posts and standards. In said drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation and partly in crosssectioncf a post assembly employing my locking unit;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail thereof, certain parts being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in section of the lower part of the device with certain parts broken 45 out, showing the locking unit in greater detail and the implement for operating the same, the said unit being shown in locked position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional top view on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view shown with the holding pin supporting the locking mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on line 6--6 of Fig. 7 with the locking mechanism in locked position;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal view partly in elevation,

When it is desired to remove showing the socket in the top of the rotatable body for receiving the operating implement;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 6 with the locking mechanism in unlocked position; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the expansible unit.

Referring to the several views, I is a tubular member tapered at its lower end to facilitate its being driven into the ground, while the upper 10 end thereof is normally open and set, preferably, flush with the surface of the ground or highway. The tubular member may also be set in concrete if so desired. Mounted in said tubular member is an angle bar post 2 which projects from said 15 tubular member above the surface of the road. Upon said post is slidably mounted the locking unit 3, to be more fully described hereinafter.

A hole 4 near the lower end of the post is adapted to receive a pin 5 to prevent the said locking 20 unit from sliding off the post after the locking unit has been mounted thereon. The wall of the tubular member is indented, as indicated at E, to provide a support shelf upon which the locking unit within the tubular member rests. 25

The locking unit 3 comprises an elongated, rotatable body or member I of X cross-section at the midsection thereof, while the outer sections or portions 8, 8 are of circular cross-section. Said body is provided with cam portions 9, 9 and 30 laterally extending lugs l0, II] the functions of which will appear later. Mounted between each lug and cam 9-40, 9-H) is an expansible unit H (see Fig. 9) consisting of two complementary segmental members Ila and l lb respectively embraced by a split annular spring l2 seated in circumferential grooves I I0, I la in the outer walls of said segmental members. Passing through said expansible units is the post 2 in the manner hereafter described.

The method of assembling the locking unit is as follows: A pair of segmental elements I la and Nb are brought together, as shown in Fig. 9, and the spring I2 sprung into the grooves Ilc of the respective members. The segmental members are then spread apart and an end of the body 3 passed therethrough until the lug l0 thereof clears said expanded unit. The latter is then released and left to lie between the cam and lug portions 9 and II]. In similar manner, a 60 second expansible unit II is assembled and mounted at the other end of the body 1 between the cam and lug portions thereof. Before the locking unit is mounted on the post 2, it should be seen that the cam and lug portions of the body 1 point toward the segmental members I lb, as shown in Fig. 6. The end of the post is then forced between the segmental member I la on the one hand and the body 1 and the segmental member llb on the other, and slid down, where it is forced through the second expansible unit in similar manner. With the cam and lug portions of the body 1 overlapping the segmental members llb, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the locking unit is free to be moved along the post in either direction. After the unit is mounted on the post 2, pin 5 is inserted in hole 4 to prevent the unit from sliding off the post as shown in Fig. 5.

When the post with the locking unit mounted,

thereon in unlocked position is inserted in the tubular member there is a slight clearance between the said expansible units and the inner wall of the tubular member as shown clearly in Fig. 8.

In practice, the locking unit is initially positioned upon the post a substantial distance from the lower end thereof so that when the post is mounted in the tubular member the locking unit is positioned above the indented portions 6, 6 of said tubular member. When the post has been fully inserted into the tubular member, the looking unit is slid down until it comes to rest on the said indented portions. The indentation is put at a point sufficiently below the top of the tubular member so that the top of the locking unit, when it comes to rest on the indented portions, is below the top of the tubular member or ground, thus making it necessary to employ an implement for operating the same.

The cam portions 99 are in vertical alignment with each other, as are the lug portions l0, ID with respect to each other. However the lugs are offset somewhat to the right of the cam portions, for reasons to be explained presently.

The operation of the locking mechanism is as follows:

Referring to Figs. 5 and 8, it will be seen that the lugs l0, l0 abut against the side 2a. of the post, while cam portions 9, 9 are displaced clockwise approximately 90 of said lugs. In this position, the body 1 can be rotated only in a clock wise direction. To effect rotation of said body, there is provided in the top thereof a cast depression l3, square in shape, into which is adapted to fit a complementary square end of an implement l4. As the body is rotated in the clockwise direction the cam portions 9, 9 thereof are brought into engagement with the side 21) of the post as shown in Fig. 6, and as rotation is continued said cam portions exert an increasing camming action against said post 2 and a counter pressure against segmental members 1 lb, Ilb thereby causing the complementary segmental members together with the spring to be expanded or spread apart until said members make a tight fit against the inner wall of the tubular member I. A slight additional rotation serves to lock the unit in place. At this point the lugs H), II] make contact with the side 21) of the post, preventing further rotation of the body in that direction. This final locking position is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. When the post has been locked within the tubular member, the implement is removed. In order to unlock the post from the tubular member, the body is rotated by the implement in a reverse direction.

Of course, the locking unit may have only one cam portion and be provided with only one expansible unit, but the dual arrangement gives. more satisfactory results.

If desired, the upper end of the tubular member may be closed with a cap l5.

For the purpose of illustration the post has been shown as carrying on the top thereof reflector buttons, but said post may carry any other desired device.

It is obvious from the foregoing that the post 2 with the locking mechanism 3 can be rotated in its unlocked condition on its axis and locked in any angular reflective position in the tubular member.

I claim:

1. In combination, a tubular member, a post mounted therein, and a locking unit therefor comprising a rotatable member having spacedapart, laterally extending cam and lug portions and an expansible unit mounted on said rotatable member and disposed between said cam and lug portions, said expansible unit embracing said post, the said cam portion being adapted to be brought into camming action against the post to spread said expansible unit into engagement with the inner 'wall of said tubular member.

2. In combination, a tubular member, a post mounted therein, and a locking unit therefor comprising a rotatable member having spacedapart, laterally extending cam and lug portions and an expansible unit mounted on said rotatable member and disposed between said cam and lug portions, said expansible unit embracing said post, the said cam portion being adapted to be brought into camming action against the post to spread said expansible unit into engagement with the inner Wall of said tubular member, and said lug being adapted to limit the arc of rotation of said rotatable member.

3. In combination, a tubular member, a post mounted therein, and a locking unit therefor comprising a rotatable member having spacedapart laterally extending cam and lug portions, an expansible unit comprising complementary segmental members embracing said rotatable member between said cam and lug portions as well as said post, and an implement for rotating said rotatable member, whereby when the latter is rotated in one direction the cam engages said post to effect expansion of the segmental members to lock said post within the tubular member, and when the rotatable member is turned in a reverse direction to unlock said post, the said lug portions being arranged to limit the arc rotation of said rotatable member.

4. In combination, a tubular member, a post mounted therein, and a locking unit therefor comprising a rotatable member having spacedapart, laterally extending cam and lug portions, an expansible unit comprising complementary segmental members embracing said rotatable member between said cam and lug portions as well as said post, a split annular spring embracing said segmental members, and an implement for rotating said rotatable member, whereby when the latter is rotated in one direction the cam engages said post to effect expansion of the segmental members to lock said post within the tubular member, and when the rotatable member is turned in a reverse direction to unlock said post, the said lug portions being arranged to limit the arc rotation of said rotatable member.

5. In combination, a tubular member, a post mounted therein, and a locking unit therefor comprising a rotatable member having spacedapart, laterally extending cam and lug portions, an expansible unit comprising complementary segmental members embracing said rotatable member between said cam and lug portions as Well as said post, the said cam portion being adapted to be brought into camming action against the post and the tubular member brought against one of said segmental. members whereby the said segmental members are separated and forced into engagement with the inner wall of said tubular member.

6. In combination, a tubular member, an angle bar post mounted therein, a rotatable member disposed between the sides of said post and having ofiset, vertically spaced-apart cam and lug portions extending laterally therefrom, a pair of complementary segmental members embracing said rotatable member and said post and disposed between the lug and cam portions, a split annular spring embracing said segmental members, and an implement for rotating said rotatable member, whereby when the latter member is rotated in one direction the said cam portion thereof is brought into engagement with one side of the post and continued rotation of said member in that direction efiects the expansion of said segmental members to lock said post within said tubular member, and whereby when said rotatable member is turned in a reverse direction the said segmental members return to unlocked position, the lug portion being arranged to engage the side of the post which engages the said cam portion to stop further rotation of said rotatable member in the locking direction.

7. The combination in accordance with claim 6, wherein the rotatable member is provided with a plurality of pairs of spaced-apart cam and lug portions and a plurality of sets of complementary segmental members.

8. In combination, a tubular member, an angle bar post disposed therein, an expansible member mounted on said post and having its outer wall spaced somewhat from the inner wall of said tubular member, and a rotatable cam-carrying member disposed between the sides of said post, whereby rotation of said cam-carrying member effects expansion of the ex'pansible member into engagement with the inner wall of said tubular member.

JOHN C. HAGGART, JR. 

